PRCC to open coliseum

Jun. 28, 2013

Written by

American Sports Writer

It has taken eight long years and miles of red tape, but unless something major happens — like another hurricane — Pearl River Community College will move into the new coliseum on its main campus in Poplarville.

“We are ecstatic about our new facility,” PRCC Athletic Director Adam Breerwood said. “It is a tremendous, state-of-the-art facility that will stack up with anybody. We are very pleased with what we have.”

The coliseum is being built near the site of the old Marvin White Coliseum that was severely damaged by Hurricane Katrina in 2005.

The Wildcat and Lady Wildcat basketball teams have played their home games in venerable Shivers Gymnasium in the interim, and the PRCC men sent the old building into retirement in style, winning the MACJC state championship in what the school hopes was the last game there.

“Our basketball teams did an outstanding job in Shivers Gym,” Breerwood said. “There are a lot of memories in that old building, but we’re excited about moving forward in our new facility.”

The new coliseum, which will seat approximately 2,500, was delayed by issues with two different insurance companies, plus the school had to wait on a determination on how much it would get from FEMA in reparation funds.

Construction is nearly complete, and PRCC expects to be playing games in the new building this fall.

Overall, it has been a solid year competitively for PRCC athletics. Besides the men’s basketball state championship, Pearl River teams won state titles in men’s and women’s soccer, and competed in MACJC postseason play in baseball, softball and women’s basketball.

The past school year also saw the end of the Tim Hatten-Era in football. Hatten, who guided the Wildcats to three state titles and the 2004 NJCAA National Championship, resigned after 11 seasons in the wake of a 3-6 season.

PRCC moved quickly to bring back William Jones as head coach. Jones was defensive coordinator for the 2004 team, before leaving to assume a similar position at East Mississippi Community College — helping the Lions win a national title in 2011.

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“There is a lot of history and tradition here, and with that comes a lot of expectations,” Breerwood said. “Our teams have answered the call, for the most part, and we’re optimistic about Coach Jones and his staff.”

• In Ellisville, Jones County Junior College has enjoyed a lull in new athletic construction after a remarkable period in which the school totally revamped its facilities.

JCJC is in its third year in Community Bank Park — its new baseball and softball complex — and the success of that facility has been reflected on the field.

The Bobcat baseball team had another solid season, finishing 28-18 and reaching the MACJC playoff, and the softball team earned its second consecutive state championship and advanced to the NJCAA Division II National Tournament.

In addition, both Jones teams advanced to the state playoffs in basketball and soccer, with the Lady Bobcats advancing to the state soccer finals before dropping a 2-0 decision to PRCC.

In football, the Bobcats’ first year under former Alabama and New York Giants head coach Ray Perkins was a success. JCJC finished 6-3 and were three-way co-champions in the South Division, but failed to make the playoffs on the MACJC tiebreaker.